Erastus j



E. J. CLARK.

Gate.

Patented June 1, i880.

y ATTORNEY INVENTOR N pErms, Pnpmfimoen/Pum, WASHINGTON n c ERASTUS J. CLARK, OF ST. JOSEPH, ILLINOIS.

GATE.

"SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 228,314, dated June 1, 1880.

Application filed December 19, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERASTUS J. CLARK, of St. Joseph, in the county of Ghampaign and State of Illinois, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Farm-Grates; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference be ing had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 is a front view of this invention, partly in section. Fig. 2 is a top view of the chain-drums. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the gate, and Fig. 4 is a top view of the gatecap.

This invention has relation to improvements in gates.

The object of the invention is to devise means for opening or closing gates from either side without dismounting from a horse or getting down from a vehicle.

The nature of the invention consists in certain novel combinations of devices, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the annexed drawings, the letters A A designate upright posts bounding a gap in a fence, and B is a gate closing the interval between the said posts. This gate is composed of slats c, arranged, if desired, at suitable distances apart, and having their upper and lower ends received in longitudinal groovesi in the metallic caps b b; or the caps may be mortised and the ends of the slats be tenoned and stepped in the mortises. The caps are clamped against the ends of the slats, thus holding them together, by means of the rods c 0, extending through the ends of the caps, and nuts d (1, applied upon the ends of the said rods above and below the caps.

The lower end of rod 0 under the cap is provided with a fixed disk, 0, resting upon antifriction rollers 6, each arranged in a bracket, f, secured to post A, and projecting toward post A, and the extreme lower end of the said rod is received snugly between said brackets, and, while it has a degree of play in the direction of the length of the gate, is incapable of displacement in any other direction. The upper end of the rod 0 extends through a bracket, f, extending out horizontally from the top of post A, and having endwise motion relative thereto, and through a slot, 8, in a fixed bracket, f above bracket f, by which means the gate is swung to the said post so as to vibrate freely and be capable of tilting, for a purpose hereinafter set forth.

9 indicates a grooved half wheel, secured rigidly to the upper end of rod 0, with its grooved convex edge toward post A and g indicates a grooved half-wheel arranged horizontally and on a level with half-wheel g, and secured upon a vertical shaft, h, having its bearings in a metallic frame,'(), at the upper end of post A.

t 2" indicate chains, secured at one of their ends to half-wheel g, near its perimeter, then crossed and secured to the half-wheel g at their other ends in corresponding positions; and g is a lever applied upon the upper end of the shaft h, which, when actuated, causes the gate to swing upon its bearings either way, according to the direction in which the said lever is thrust.

The operation of lever O shortens chains it by partly winding them upon the half-drums g g, and thereby draws the upper part of rod 0 nearer the post A, owing to the yielding of the bracket f, thus causing the gate to tilt, and its swinging latch j, that is held normally in position at right angles to rod 0 by a stoppin, 19, and a spring, 19', on the said rod, to be raised out of the catch it on post A at the moment the gate begins to swing.

Extending out from the base of post A, upon opposite sides of the gate, and at right angles thereto, are the sills D, having erected upon their ends the uprights J J, to the upper ends of which are fulcrumed the T-shaped levers K, one branch, Z, of which is horizontal, and the other, 1, vertical. The horizontal branch is the handle by means of which the lever is operated. To the upper ends of the branches 1 of levers J SJ are secured strong wires L L, reaching thence to the lever 9 and the lower ends thereof are connected by the wire M. By depressing the levers K from either side of the gate the latch is disengaged from the catch and the said gate swung open away from the operator at right angles to its former position, whenit becomes engaged with a catch, m, upon the uprights J J. These catches m are right-angular in form, and one arm thereof is engaged in guides n upon the said uprights. They are also connected with the operating-arm lof levers K by means of a rigid connecting-rod, y, pivoted to the catch and arm, as shown in Fig. 3. The operator, having passed through the gap beyond the reach of the gate, depresses thelever-handle l ofthe lever Kon that side, releases thelatch from catch m and closes the gate, the said latch becoming engaged with the catch it by the gravitation of the gate at its free end and the reaction of spring as on the endwise-movable bracket f.

The caps 11 I) are usually made of wrought metal, rolled into the form of the letter U, and having edge-flanges 0, serrated, as shown, for the purpose of deterring stock from rubbing against and breaking the gate. The caps may, however, be made of cast-iron, if I so elect.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a farm-gate, the gate consisting of the slats a, the bottom and top caps, b b, the rods 0 0, extending through the ends of said caps. and the nuts (Z (1, applied upon the ends of said rods, the whole combined substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the post A, having the brackets f near its bottom, and pro vided with an anti-friction roller, 0, and the bracket f near its top, of a gate having the journal-rod c, engaged between brackets f and extending loosely through bracket f, and the disk 0, fixed on said rod and bearing on antifriction rollers a, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, with the post A, ha"- ing the brackets ff, the post A, having the double catch it, and the gate B, having the journal-rod c, engaged in said brackets loosely,

of the half-wheel g or the rod 0, the half-wheel g on post A, the chains ii, secured at one end to wheel 9, crossed, tightened, and secured to wheel 9, the lever g and a mechanism actuating said lever, substantially as specified.

4. The combination, with the posts A A, the gate B, having the journal-rod c, the halfpulley g on said red, the half-pulley g on post A, the crossed chains 1' i, secured to said halfpulleys at their ends, and the lever 1 actuating pulley g, of the uprights J J at each side of the gate, the T-shaped levers K, pivoted to the ends of said uprights, the wires L L, connecting the lever and levers K, the wire M, connecting levers K, the sliding catches m on uprights J J, and the rod y, connecting the said sliding catches m and levers K, substantially as specified.

5. The combination, with the post A, having the lower brackets, f 1, each carrying the anti-friction rollers c, the yielding bracket f, and the fixed slotted bracket f near its top, and the post A, having the double catch k, of the gate B, having vibrating latch j and rod 0, the latter having disk 0, bearing on rollers a, stepped between brackets f, and extending through brackets f f the wheel 9 on rod 0, wheel g on post A, the crossed chains 2' '1), the lever on the shaft of wheel g, and a mechanism operating the same, substantially specified.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

ERASTUS J. CLARK.

Vitnesses:

N. B. IRONS, SAMUEL (J. Fox. 

